More Gardeners for Garland

I’m happy to report that yet another Garland family has decided to steward a plot at the Garland Community Garden. Meet Ashley and Anthony DeLabano and their two darling children were assigned a garden plot Sunday afternoon, May 19. They are the fifth family to join us this spring. Garden awareness is on the rise in Garland! Community Gardens are popping up all over the place. We now have the Saturn Hills Community Garden, Fresh Connections, and Good Samaritans are putting in a garden at their place.

Our schools are putting in gardens too. I know there is one slated for the fall near Centerville. Parkcrest elementary has a great new garden that was just installed last fall. Linsey Gilbert, School Nurse at Parkcrest was the mover and shaker who brought this garden to life and inspired a team of adults from the community to help her. In addition to parents of the students at Parkcrest, we also had two naturalists—Reba Collins and David Parrish who helped to plan the garden. Reba directed the design and installation of a lovely pollinator bed that borders the main vegetable garden on the street side. David directed the installation of a Blackland Prairie section that borders the garden on the other side and along the top. Nancy Tunell, from our Neighborhood Vitality Department, and I from Loving Garland Green assisted with the vegetable garden. Of course the students planted the vegetables. Over the summer, parents, neighbors and adults on the team will keep the garden watered. It takes a village to make a school garden.

OTHER SIGHTS AT THE GARLAND COMMUNITY GARDEN

Our tomato plants are all growing like crazy! I didn’t count but many of them already have large well-developed green tomatoes. Another phenomenon: we have really healthy watermelon vines—a first for our garden. Also we have yellow squash.

(I know I shouldn’t brag but . . .) This is also the first year for squash for all of us except the Drakes who last year got a few before the squash bugs moved in. It seems that every year is different in terms of what grows well.

Tiger lilies are blooming. Native common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) is over 4 feet tall and the cacti in the medicine wheel are blooming. Our seedlings of Native Antelope Horn milkweed and also called "green milkweed" (Asclepias viridis) that we planted last week is holding its own in spite of all the heavy downpours we've had.

Tiger lilies are blooming. We don't know where they came from. None of our members recall planting them.

Cacti in the Medicine Wheel is blooming. It's hard to believe all this began just three years ago with three cactus leaves.

Green Milkweed (Asclepias viridis) seedlings. At maturity these plants will only be about two feet tall.

First Generation 2019 Monarch Caterpillar

GARLAND COMMUNITY GARDEN UPDATE

The garden needs some tender loving care. I'm going back down there this afternoon to replace some of the straw that has washed away by our latest deluge of rain. Yesterday we discovered three monarch caterpillars in one of our three common milkweed patches. I rescued one of them shown in the photo above.

The Story of Milkweed and Monarchs

It's a well known fact that Monarch butterflies (Danaus plexippus) will only deposit their eggs on a milkweed (Asclepias) plant and that Monarch caterpillars will only feed on milkweed leaves. But guess what? There are over 100 species of milkweed plants in North America and over 30 of them are native to Texas.

Native Plant Enthusiasts recommend against tropical milkweed

According to some, not all milkweed is created equal. Many native plant enthusiasts are against tropical milkweed, a native to Mexico. One of their main objections is that the tropical milkweed lasts until the first freeze and in some zones will last through the winter. This entices monarchs to overwinter in Texas and Florida when they should be going on to the highlands of Mexico for the winter.

However native milkweed at the Garland Community Garden was all dried up by the first of August last year--about two weeks prior to their first arrivals around mid August. It takes five generations of monarchs to complete the cycle to get them to migrate to Mexico in the fall. The fifth generation is the one that is genetically programmed to fly to Mexico and semi- hibernate for about six months and then start the new first generation the following spring. The first four generations are genetically programmed to die 2 to 6 weeks after they eclose. In Texas and Oklahoma we need to especially make sure there is milkweed--in the spring for the Monarchs to deposit the eggs of the first generation and then again in the fall for them to deposit the eggs for the last generation of the year.

Thus many of the monarchs arriving in North Texas beginning in mid August through September are the fourth generation who are looking for milkweed to deposit their eggs for the fifth generation. If it were not for the tropical milkweed we also had at the garden, there would have been no milkweed for the monarchs. Thus I still intend to plant tropical milkweed in the garden this year. Of course I will cut it down at the end of the first week in October. I don't want any fifth generation Monarchs hanging around.

I don't know why, but our native milkweed was all gone just before the Monarchs began returning in mid August last year. Perhaps it is the species.

It might be because our stand of common milkweed was only two years old. I'll watch it closely this year. If the native milkweed lasts until the end of September, then I'll recommend to the club that we stop planting tropical milkweed. If not we will plant tropical milkweed again next spring as we will not leave the monarchs to fend for themselves. Our mission is to support monarchs. This fall we will also plant seeds of other species of native milkweed. Native is of course always preferable; however, some food is better than no food.

We Might Remember that Our Native Plants Are Evolving Too

Like people and critters plants also evolve/adapt to survive the onslaughts of urbanization with its herbicides and pesticides. Who's to say what's happened to our native milkweed and its survival strategies? Honestly, I don't think people know but perhaps there are some studies on that somewhere.

From my own personal field observations, all our native milkweed was gone by August 1 and the fourth generation Monarchs visiting the Garland Community Garden in late August through September of last year would have been SOL if it were not for tropical milkweed.

Asclepias syriaca often called common milkweed, is another species that grow well all over Texas. This is the variety that we have growing at the Garland Community Garden. Currently we have 250 Asclepias Syriaca in three different plots. This is their third year.

Milkweed in the Medicine Wheel at the Garland Community Garden. Native Americans used this plant for various medicinal purposes.

Asclepias syriaca flower buds - Garland Community Garden

LOVING GARLAND GREEN SPRING PLANT SALE

Saturday APRIL 6, 2019

Garland Community Garden

Brand & Naaman School Road

10 AM to 3 PM

NOTE: If raining in the morning may be postponed until the Afternoon. If raining in the Afternoon, stop by from 1 to 4 PM on Sunday April 7.

HERE IS A PARTIAL LIST OF FEATURED PLANTS

MEXICAN TARRAGON – great perennial addition for your herb garden Lovely yellow blossoms from mid July to late October Leaves used as seasoning on chicken and fish. Only four plants at $4 each

ASTER – beautiful perennial blooms August to October $2 a plant

OBEDIENT PLANTS – beautiful perennial flower- This herbaceous perennial plant is up to 4' tall and blooms from late summer to early fall 1 ½ months

PABLANO PEPPERS

BLACKBERRY PLANTS $5 each

KALE $2 plant

ARTEMISIA $2 plantITALIAN PARSLEY

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LOOKING FORWARD TO FUN IN THE GARDEN

I was down at the Garland Community Garden today--didn't find a four-leaf clover, but I felt lucky nonetheless. it was a beautiful day and I was heartened to see six gardeners working away.

Earlier this morning I helped some folks unload horse manure down there and went down to check on our tulip bed which i part of a citizen science project tracking climate change in North America.

The tulips were planted on January 8, 2019 according to instructions we received from Journey North. All 50 tulips we planted came up. The first ones began to emerge by February 11. By February 22, all 50 tulip bulbs had emerged. March 2 saw our first bloom. By March 11 all 50 were in bloom. Today I took the final snapshots shown below. On March 17 all are in full bloom--almost read to shed their petals.

March 17, 2019

March 11, 2019

Once again Loving Garland Green, stewards of the Garland Community Garden, are participating in Journey North’s international citizen science project with tulips to measure climate change across the globe. On January 5 at 4PM they planted 50 Red Emperor Tulip bulbs. Garland is now officially on the Journey North's map as Jane Stroud, President Loving Garland Green recorded the planting of 50 Red Emperor bulbs at the Garland Community Garden on Journey North’s website. Hundreds of people across the Northern Hemisphere plant tulip bulbs in Test Gardens. They will record when and where tulips will emerge and bloom in their own gardens and across the globe. The database of this information will in turn help scientists in better understanding the impact of climate change.

Tracking the Spring Season

The database of this information will in turn help scientists in better understanding the impact of climate change. When citizen scientists report from their garden — planting, emergence, and bloom — the record appears on the Journey North Test Garden map. One garden at a time, tulips emerge as the map tracks the wave of spring across the Northern Hemisphere. https://journeynorth.org/tulips

Opportunity For Learning

This citizen science project is also a great opportunity for learning for school children. At least one local Garland elementary school, Parkcrest Elementary, is participating in this project at their school. They are planting tulip bulbs in their school garden. Along with the tulips there will be an associated curriculum and related lesson plans. For example, students will dissect a tulip bulb to learn all about its inside story—the specialized plant storage structure that contains everything the plant needs to survive winter and grow in the spring. Members of Loving Garland Green are planning a Tulip event for students at the Garden as well. This event will take place in mid-February—about the time tulips start peeking up through the earth.

A Few Interesting Facts About Tulips

Did you know that tulip petals are edible? They have an onion taste. It's hard to imagine, but people also made tulip bread and tulip wine. The Dutch are responsible for the breeding of today's tulips and are the leading exporters of the bulbs - around 6 billion bulbs annually.

A period known as "tulip mania" occurred in the1600’s in Holland. It is now regarded as the first economic bubble collapse. At its high point, bulbs were used as a form of currency.

Tulips are sweetly scented! And no wonder! The meaning of tulips is generally perfect love. Red tulips such as the emperor tulips are most strongly associated with true love, while purple symbolizes royalty.

You are invited to join members of Loving Garland Green and participate in the first Wings for Our Community event. “Wings” was born as a fundraiser concept for the Garland Area Makerspace. Loving Garland Green, stewards of the Garland Community Garden, are supporting us in testing Wings. Our idea is to put wings all over Garland. People can pose with the wings and donate money to help manifest a space for the Garland Area Makerspace.

As our concept broadens and becomes more community inclusive, it has occurred to us that any nonprofit in our community can also have their own wings.

Each pair of wings will be unique to the maker/artists, but they will all loosely follow a format of being 8 feet tall and with feathers for their outer edges. The body of the wings will consist of related objects. For example, Garden Wings, shown above has various representations of organic matter. Soon we will have a pair of “Maker Wings.” These wings will feature people and tools.

The idea behind "Wings" is remembering and recognizing all the wings we are given in the form of people and tools that enable us to soar to heights we might otherwise have never been able to. At this event, each person who wants to will be given a lantern and an LED candle to put inside the lantern and attach to a structure in the garden. These lanterns are in remembrance and gratitude for people in our lives who have provided wings for us to soar.

There will also be markers at the event for those who want to write the names of these people on their lanterns.

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Note: If it's rained more than an inch in the last 48 hours, park on Kingsbridge and walk down to the garden.

WINGS IN THE GARDEN - a participatory art installation in the Garland Community Garden -- Do something out of your box, even if it feels silly. Visit the Garden and take a friend with you for a great photo opportunity._

You can have fun in the Garden--even in December!

In the coming week we will have a blackboard near the sign. You can write your message and take your photo with it. We will also have a plastic box by the blackboard with chalk, wipes and a guest registration booklet. Hope you'll stop by. The garden is resting now but if you open your eyes you can still see life going on everywhere.

Wishing you and yours a happy holiday.

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From Earlier Days this Year in the Garden!

Monarchs mating in the Garland Community Garden - October 8, 2018

Photo by Jane Stroud

According to information from the University of Minnesota, mating monarchs can remain together for 16 hours or longer, and it is only at the very end of this period that sperm are transferred.

The tiny beginning - Monarch egg on underside of native milkweed leaf. Only about four days later it will be a caterpillar.- Garland Community Garden - September 26 - Photo by Liz Berry

Females lay their eggs most often on the underside of the leaf where the caterpillars when they hatch cannot be seen by flying birds and insects from above. A female Monarch will lay up to 500 eggs--one at a time. The egg is translucent oval-shaped and tiny. Compare the size of the egg to the thumbnail of the person holding it.

The total time frame for one butterfly’s life cycle (one generation) is about 6-8 weeks…egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, butterfly. It grows inside the egg for about 4 days. It then munches milkweed and grows as a monarch caterpillar (larvae) for about 2 more weeks. The caterpillar’s life inside the chrysalis (pupa) lasts about 10 days and its wonderful life as an adult butterfly lasts from 2 – 6 weeks. Monarch butterflies may take as many as five generations to make it from Mexico to southern Canada and back again. The last generation of Monarchs each year that migrates to Mexico live up to five months. They are the ones who make the return trip to the USA and Canada and these are the ones who make the first generation of the new year.

However, the oldest monarch we know of is Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom. Born on April 26,1926 Elizabeth Windsor is the oldest monarch in history, at age of 92. She took the crown on June 2, 1953 when she was 27. :)

Monarch Caterpillar - Rescued from the Garland Community Garden - September 20, 2018

Caterpillar in the photo above is in its fifth instar. The intervals between molts are called "instars". After this one has eaten his final full of milkweed leaves, he will crawl to the underside of the lid above him, assume a "J" position and begin to transform into a pupa. The total time for being a caterpillar is about 14 days.

Now the Caterpillar has morphed into beautiful green pupa.Photo courtesy Jane Stroud

It will take the caterpillar about 10 days inside the pupa to transform itself in a beautiful Monarch butterfly.

Tagging and Rescue

Members of Loving Garland Green rescue caterpillars from the Garland Community Garden and also from our own gardens at home. We put them in well-ventilated plastic containers and then tag and release them when they mature (eclose) into Monarch butterflies. In the wild less than 5% complete the life cycle from egg to butterfly. When rescued and allowed to develop in a protected environment, 95% are able to complete their lifecycle.

Our nonprofit organization also tags monarch butterflies in the wild as they pass through our North Texas area on their way to the Mexican highlands. Information on these tags assists researchers from Monarch Watch in learning more about the Monarch. In the past 26 years over 1.5 million monarchs have been tagged.

(Note: in the photo above, tags for seven Monarchs were already used.)

People who see a tagged butterfly dead or alive are requested to contact Monarch Watch and report the sighting. Ideally the butterfly is netted alive and the tag code recorded before releasing the butterfly. Even if the Monarch is not alive, please call and report that as well.

First Line: Email address for Monarch Watch.Second Line: Name of Organization Third line: telephone numberFourth line: a unique alphanumeric code identifying the monarch.

There will be only one code for each monarch tagged. The people tagging have record sheets where they record the code to identify the butterfly, date it was tagged; sex as F or M; whether it was reared or tagged in the wild; City, State and Zip. When they have completed their tagging efforts (usually by the end of October) They send this information to the researchers at the University of Kansas.

Come Visit the Garland Community Garden and You can be a Monarch too!

Get a friend to take your photo as a monarch.

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ANTS AND APHIDS IN THE GARDEN -

It’s difficult to appreciate ants—especially if you are a north Texas gardener who numbers among their victims. I always count my day as lucky if I spend more than two hours in the garden without suffering a few fire ant bites and it does happen—once in a while.

Aphids have appeared in the Garland Community Garden. I have a “live and let live policy” with these creatures until they begin to overpower the plant. Then I take action with the hose and my thumb and forefinger. Once aphids are washed from the plant, they die and do not return to it. Their relatives may, but not the particular ones you removed,

Two facts about Ants from the old Farmers Almanac

Ants outnumber all other individual animals combined.

They’ve been around since the dinosaurs and inhabit just about every corner of our planet.

Benefits of Ants—yes even the Carpenter and Fire Ants

Ants nest in the ground. The labyrinth of tunnels they dig are especially beneficial for our heavy clay soil as these tunnels aereate the soils allowing air and moisture to get to the roots of the plant. Additionally, they help to fertilize nearby plants as the leaves and insects they drag to their nest decay and help feed nearby plants.

Ants and Aphids—a match made in heaven some would say.

Where there are destructive, sap-sucking Aphids, there are, or soon will be, Ants. Aphid eggs are those tiny little yellow balls that you can find on the leaves and stems of your plant. They will hatch into nymphs and unchecked will suck the life out of their host plant.

These tiny pests produce a substance called honeydew. Ants are said to milk aphids like cows for the honey dew. The ants stroke the aphids with their antennas and the aphids excrete the honeydew. The ant in turn store the honeydew in a special holding stomach called “the crop.” They bring it back to the nest to share with the queen and other workers. Ants even keep aphids in their nest giving them food and shelter as humans do with cows. Amazing, isn’t it—the complex societies inhabiting our planet that have existed longer than humans.

Below are two photos taken by Jane Stroud at the Garland Community Garden on August 22, 2018

Ladybugs, a natural predator of aphids, love to eat the aphid eggs and tiny nymphs. Looks to me like this one has her work cut out for her.

Imposter in the Garden August 8, 2018

Jane and I had a busy morning in the garden this morning. For the past week we've been seeing an increase in the number of all kinds of butterflies but primarily Gulf Fritillaries, Monarchs, Queens and Viceroys. In my own yard I've seen several yellow swallowtails too.

This morning near the milkweed in the pollinator bed, Jane discovered what we at first thought was a monarch caterpillar, but on closer examination we saw that it had three sets of filaments (those antennae like protuberances on their backs that some incorrectly refer to as tentacles or antennae). The Monarch caterpillar only has two sets of filaments but the Queen has three sets. The poor thing was away from the milkweed on some tall Bermuda grass. Half of one of its filaments was missing. I decided that it should be rescued so I brought it home with me. This is my second caterpillar rescue for 2018. In the spring I rescued a Monarch caterpillar and let it go as a female Monarch butterfly. I'm sure there will be many more to come in addition to tagging adult Monarchs. Last year Loving Garland Green tagged 100 monarchs. This year we ordered 200 tags. Tagging in North Texas begins around Labor Day.

The photo above shows a Monarch caterpillar with its two sets of filaments Photo by Monika Maeckle

Above is a photo I took of the Queen caterpillar. He/she is now safely ensconced in a condo with plenty of milkweed leaves to munch on. I will say that the Queen doesn't seem to eat nearly as fast or greedily as the Monarch.

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Nicholas Kircus in the Garland Community Garden July 24, 2018

The spirit of volunteerism touches hearts—both the young and the old. Nicholas Kircus is among the community volunteers who help to keep our Garland Community alive and well with his labor. Nicholas, an honor student, has been coming to the garden at 7:30 in the morning and working for an hour before football practice pulling the relentless Bermuda grass from our beds. Without volunteers like Nicholas, our community would not have nearly so many nice places like the garden and public services such as the Good Samaritans—most volunteers work behind the scenes unseen providing valuable assistance the rest of us never see.

It is especially heartening to see our youth involved in community volunteerism as the patterns we set in our youth are often with us throughout our lifetimes. Nicholas is a young man who appears to be living a life of balanced responsibility and discipline. After he leaves the garden between 8:30 and 9 AM, he goes on to football practice at North Garland High School. Nicholas, a senior this year, plays center for the team. I asked him this morning if he had picked out a college to attend after he graduated. He has narrowed it down to two: Texas A&M and Oklahoma University. In addition to caring about his community, Nicholas is also an honor student. Either school will be lucky to have such a responsible young man among their student body.

Tuesday Additions to the Garden: Supporting our "Send them Back to the Woods" Policy

In keeping with our garden policy as a national wildlife habitat we are already preparing for the fall when snakes and mice (food for snakes begin to seek refuge from the cold in compost and brush piles. Yesterday (Tuesday July 10) Jane and I installed two solar-powered ultrasonic repellent devices at the Garland Community Garden. We will be inserting many other brands of these devices at the garden. These devices are safe for use around pets and children. They have no troublesome chemical or nuisance pesticides, no trap resulting in dead animals to deal with. This particular device sends out vibrations and sounds every 30 seconds which are said to effectively repel snakes, mice, moles and raccoons. We want to keep the critters in the riparian area that border the garden, in between us and the creek.

BE SURE TO SHOP LOCAL WHENEVER YOU CAN! IT HELPS LOCAL MERCHANTS AND IT HELPS YOUR LOCAL ECONOMY!

The Beans produced and produced!

Now we are looking forward to some English peas.

Signs at the Garland Community Garden

We’ve been experimenting with signage down at the garden for almost three years now. I think we’ve finally hit upon a good solution that will hold up well through all seasons—we are using rocks and concrete. An example of our new signs is shown above. This one is for our bean patch, which will feature Fort Portal Jade, Purple Hull Pinkeye, 1500 Year Old Cave Bean, Gold Marie Vining, Blauhilde, Pigeon Pea, Jacob’s Cattle (all grown from rare heirloom seeds) and speaking of beans . . .

Meet the Bean Man

Have you heard of John Withee (1910-1993)? He grew up in rural Maine. Every Friday his family chore was to clean out the bean hole and start a fire in it. This pit in the Withee’s backyard was used an earth oven. When the coals in the pit got hot, a Dutch oven was placed in the coals and then dirt piled over it. The beans baked in the pit for an entire day. Then they were eaten for the Saturday evening meal. Leftovers were eaten on Sunday. If there were any remaining beans from Sunday, they would be spread on bread with mayonnaise and eaten for school lunches.

Jacob’s Cattle—the best beans for baking according to the Bean Man. This variety is available through Baker Seeds and organizations such as Seed Savers Exchange

After living in crowded urban areas with little yard space for years, in the early 1970’s, Mr. Withee moved to a place in Massachusetts where he had a little land. Thus he decided to create a bean hole in his backyard and invite a few of his friends over for a “bean bash.” According to John Withee, the best beans for baking are called “Jacobs Cattle.” As things turned out, he could not find any beans of this variety so he had to substitute a less desirable variety.

It was this event that stirred his interest in seed saving and became what was to be a 20-year quest for different varieties of beans. He amassed nearly 1,200 varieties of beans and formed an organization called ‘Wanigan Associates”—a network of bean growers who helped him maintain his collection of 1,186 species of beans. The entirety of Withee’s collection of bean species today is at Seed Savers Exchange’s Heritage Farm in Decorah, Iowa.

We are pollinator friendly!

Pollinators are responsible for one out of every three bites of food that we eat. We are lucky that we even have any left considering some of the horticultural and agricultural practices over the past 75 years.

NATIVE BEES

A lot of folks don't realize that here in North America we have over 4,000 species of native bees. Unlike the honeybee which was brought to North America by European settlers, most native bees of North America are solitary, not social. The bumblebee, one of our natives is the only native bee that is social, colonizes and lives in groups. Our gentle-natured native bees are extremely more efficient pollinators than their European cousins. For example, one tiny Mason bee pollinates as much as 100 foraging honey bees.

Did you see a Monarch? Report your sighting. Click on the Map below and follow the instructions.

Learn All About Milkweed!

Re-establishing the presence of Milkweed is critical to bringing the Monarch back from the brink of extinction. Fortunately for us, Brianna Borders and Eric Lee-Mader have written a definitive text titled: Milkweeds--A Conservation Practitioner's Guide. This 156-page text surely must be among the most informative texts on the topic. It is available free as a download from the Xerces Society website. This text covers information on plant ecology, seed production methods, and habitat restoration opportunities.

The Xerces Society is a nonprofit organization that protects wildlife through the conservation of invertebrates and their habitat. Established in 1971, the Society is at the forefront of invertebrate protection worldwide, harnessing the knowledge of scientists and the enthusiasm of citizens to implement conservation programs. Butterflies, dragonflies, beetles, worms, starfish, mussels, and crabs are but a few of the millions of invertebrates at the heart of a healthy environment. Invertebrates build the stunning coral reefs of our oceans; they are essential to the reproduction of most flowering plants, including many fruits, vegetables, and nuts; and they are food for birds, fish, and other animals. Yet invertebrate populations are often imperiled by human activities and rarely accounted for in mainstream conservation. The Society uses advocacy, education, and applied research to defend invertebrates.

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The butterfly is but one of many important insect pollinators. In fact, the bee is perhaps one of the most important. Unlike the butterfly and many other insects pollinators whose acts of pollination are incidental to their gathering nectar, the bee deliberately harvests pollen and takes this protein rich substance back to the hive to nourish its young.

Many do not realize that the honey bee is not native to the USA. It was brought here by European settlers. However North American has over 4,000 species of native bees. The only native bee that is social is the bumblebee who make their nests in the ground.

The bee uses it proboscis (long straw-like tongue) to transfer pollen to its pollen sacs.

Learn about elderberries and then add some to your edible landscape.

Recently we discovered an elderberry bush near a pawpaw tree down at the garden. Elderberries are an easy to grow shrub that you can include in your edible garden. According to Charlie Nardozzi of Edible Gardening:

"The dark purple berries contain vitamins A and B, and more vitamin C than oranges. They are also high in cancer-fighting antioxidants. In fact, elderberry fruits have historically been used to treat many ailments, such as respiratory problems, colds, and flus. Plus, they are tasty when used in juices, jellies, jams, teas, pies, and wine. You can use the umbrella-shaped, elderberry blossoms for making a delicious fritters or even champagne."

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Makerspaces

Loving Garland Green will be working with others to bring a makerspace to our community. Makerspaces provide the opportunity for people to work with the latest technological tools such as 3D printers that they might not otherwise have access to.

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Featured Garden Bed Formats

Sustainable is key to our gardening practices. Diversity is another key that fits into just about any activity promoted by Loving Garland Green. We display many different formats for garden beds down at the Garland community garden: square foot beds; keyhole bed; hugelkulturs; containers; and more.

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Education--A Key Component for Loving Garland Green Members

Sharing our own personal enthusiasm for urban gardens and its promise for the health of our residents as well as the health of our local economy is our gift.

Over the past year members of Loving Garland Green have participated in several community events where we have made presentations regarding gardening techniques and the importance of urban dwellers growing at least some of their edibles. (See our project updates below for more information.)

There is lots of opportunity down at the garden.

Currently we have approximately 3,000 square feet of garden beds, of which some are still available to those who are interested in gardening at the community garden. The sizes of the beds range from small to large. If having a garden plot sounds like too much work for you, then we invite you to plant something in a container and bring that down to the garden. We have lots of room for containers. The only "work" involved is that you must agree to visit the garden once a week to take care of your plant.

The best way to learn more about us is to attend one of our meetings. We meet every first and third Monday from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at 216 East Kingsbridge Drive Garland Texas 75040. We would love to meet you.

Why would someone want to belong to Loving Garland Green?

That's a good question and one of the best answers I can think of is: "because that person understands the extreme value of gardens--particularly gardens that grow edibles."

GARDEN FORMATS

Square Foot Gardens

Who is Loving Garland Green?

We are a dynamic group of people who are dedicated to increasing the number of urban gardens in Garland. We have joined together to form a nonprofit organization. Membership in our organization is open to the public as are our meetings and related documents. There are limitless ways to increase the number of urban gardens in a community. MORE

COMMUNITY and GARDEN

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UPCOMING EVENTS

HAPPY MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

Be safe and visit the garden. You are welcome to pull weeds!

Meeting: 269 Bellwood, Garland 75040

Monday June 3, 2019 - 6:30 to 7:30PM

NEWS FROM THE GARDEN:

PLANTS ARE GROWING!_______________________________

Loving Garland Green meets the first Monday of each month from 6:30 to 7:30 PM at 269 Bellwood Drive Garland, TX 75040

Our next scheduled meeting is June 3, 2019. We would love to meet you.

Our board meetings are open to the public. However members of the audience, unless called forth by a board member to present a specific topic beforehand (and approved by a quorum of the board) cannot speak.

Loving Garland Green is officially tax exempt from Federal Income Tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions to our organization are deductible under section 170 of the Code. We are qualified to receive tax deductible bequests, devises, transfers or gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the Code. It has been determined that we are a public charity. Our effective date of exemption is January 15, 2014.

Moving forward with Rainwater Harvesting

Members or Loving Garland Green are currently looking at all kinds of possibilities for harvesting rainwater. Thus far we've found that rooftops appear to provide the maximum yield and benefit as a 1,200 square foot roof, given our annual rainfall, can yield 26,000 gallons annually which is more than enough water, combined with rainfall, to sustain a garden large enough to provide for the annual vegetable and fruit needs of a family of four.

However, we are also looking into other possible configurations for harvesting rainwater. The first video below illustrates one such method. The second video illustrates a 1,100 gallon capacity system that is a DIY designed to be use with a roof gutter system.

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Winter 2019 at the Garden!

4022 Naaman School Road

Come see how many plants still thrive in our three season climate for edibles.

About the Design of the Community Garden(This PDF we created as Exhibit C for our License Agreement that we signed with the city. It is a work in progress and we expect it to evolve as we receive more input from residents and local organizations.)

Our Mission

Loving Garland Green is a group of local Garland residents who believe that local people growing edible plants will also grow a robust and secure local economy. Our mission is to ensure that Garland has more people growing at least some of the food they eat and to support them through our continuing efforts to learn and share knowledge together.